What is a mouse gun to you?

M

Mello2u

New member
We have many threads on this forum which discuss handguns that are "mouse guns". In many of those threads the term "mouse gun" is used without any definition of what it means. Sure posters refer to several handguns like the LCP, the P3, the NAA .22 and various Kahrs among others. But since we use it as a generic term to mean any gun "we" think is a mouse gun it really has no meaning.

From my perusal of the many threads, it seems to me that the over-riding features of a mouse gun are small size and light weight, which means that it also has low power or the recoil is either punishing or uncontrollable.

1) So, I ask for your input as to:
a) what size (height, length and width),
b) weight,
c) and cartridge (including number of rounds) are the upper limits for a "mouse gun" to you. By upper limit, I mean that is if exceeded your limit in any one of the criteria it would no longer be classified as a mouse gun.

2) What are the lower limits you would place on a handgun you carry for self-defense in a), b) or c) above?

3) Should the term "pocket gun" be synonymous with or distinguished from "mouse gun"?

Let us see if we can come to some sort of consensus on the definition of a mouse gun.

Is a 5" long, 4" high, and 1" wide .380acp or 9mm a mouse gun?
Must a mouse gun weigh less than 15 ounces or can it weigh 18 ounces loaded like the Kahr PM9?

http://www.mouseguns.com/PocketAutoComparison.pdf
The above .pdf file is a nice reference point to start.
 
IMO, a mouse gun is small enough to easily fit in the palm of your hand, light enough and small enough to carry in a pants or vest pocket without the need for a major belt to hold it. It can fire anything from .22 LR to 9mm. After that, the guns tend to get too big. I would prefer less than 1 pound, lighter is better for a pocket gun. Sights aren't really necessary as this is an "up close and personal" gun

That chart is a great chart to use
 
For me it's foremost the cartridge that makes it a mouse gun, secondly the physical size - I think of a very small (palm sized) handgun chambered in .380ACP or smaller. I don't think of the ultra-compact 9mms as mouse guns, nor the larger sized .380s . Not saying I'm right, but that's what it means to me.
 
In my mind, a mousegun is anything that comfortably fits most pockets and is in a caliber .380 or smaller. Anything in a bigger caliber that is still pocketable is more of a "rat" gun.
 
Small, cal .32 or lower. My PPK-L in .22 would qualify; a .22 PPK/S might be a bit too big. Seecamp .32 OK; in .380 I'd question it due to caliber.

Not much left of a mouse hit with 9mm kurz.
 
Caliber below 9mm or 38 SPL.

Size - smaller than a J frame or the compact semis on the order of the Glock 26,27 or comparable XDs or M&Ps.
 
Mouse gun = a super small gun shooting a cartridge in a "power catagory" where the more knowlegable people (not) in the world think it bounces off denim and that a sharp stick makes a better weapon.

If the gun is in a caliber that IS NOT consistantly in a "vs. Knife" debate here at TFL it can't be a mouse gun.

LK
 
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1) In my opinion a mouse gun is the size of your hand or less and is in a caliber less powerful than 9mm or .38 special. Weight really isn't a criteria for me, it's the combination of size and caliber. A 22 lr in a NAA mini is a mouse gun, but in a Ruger MK 1 it's not. Likewise, a .44 mag derringer may be the size of your hand, but I would not consider that a mouse gun.

2) The lower limits for me are .32 auto, but I would carry anything if it was all I had. I don't have any lower limits on weight or size as long as it's still controllable.

3) All mouse guns are pocket guns, but not all pocket guns are mouse guns. A S&W J frame is a pocket gun, so is a Rohrbaugh 9mm, but I would not call them mouse guns.
 
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.177 CoO2 pellet pistol. If you want to shoot mice, I'd highly recommend it - that's what I use, anyway. For rats, I use a Chinese springer .22 pellet pistol - more than enough power.
 
Yes, I know, but as I said in my first post, my opinion of a mouse gun includes size and caliber less than 9mm or 38 special.
 
Any thing in 22 or 25 and small size. I have a lot of respect for 22lr but it is not my choice for SD but would not feel helpless if it were all I had. JMHO : Bill
 
3) All mouse guns are pocket guns, but not all pocket guns are mouse guns. A S&W J frame is a pocket gun, so is a Rohrbaugh 9mm, but I would not call them mouse guns.
Click to expand...

Yep! The J-frame in my pocket as we type is stoked with Speer 135gr. "short barrel" .357 mag. Gold Dots. It would make very short work of a mouse!!!:)

.380 or less in a pocket carry package / size, would be my criteria, but I very rarely use the term "mouse-gun"

Now "Mouse-fart" loads in the Cowboy Action Shooting sport is a whole other phenomenon!:eek: There are folks loading down .38 specials to the point where the lead barely makes it out of the barrel! :rolleyes: Shameful really! A mouse might catch one in mid-flight and run off with it!


DS
 
Mouse gun has nothing to do with the size...
Any smaller caliber handgun is a mouse gun, .22, .25, or .32.
Meant for hunting mouses, ya know..?
Even something as large as a Tec22 is a mousegun.
IMO.
p
 
I recall this - we were in Saltgrass steak house. Then, all of a sudden, a mouse ran across the restaurant's floor. People screamed and shrieked in terror.

At one table, a good ol' boy chortled - "Well, gol darn, dingy darn - I should get the shotgun. "

The mouse ran by his foot. I asked my wife if I could unlimber the big old semi from under my jacket and blow up the mouse next to the ol' boy's footsie. She wouldn't let me. :rolleyes:

That would have been using a mouse gun.
 
A gun for shooting mice? Ok, couldn't resist but I'm not too keen on a palm-sized .380 or below. I'll stick with a j-snub @ .38 or select +P. I'll also shoot .357 from a 23+ ounce variant like' my 640.
 
Years ago, a bachelor friend of mine, who's lifestyle led to an infestation of mice, used a S&W semi-auto pistol with birdshot loads to exterminate them. Came to work every day with a new story about stalking through the house and popping the critters.
5" barrel, as I recall- too big for my pockets.
 
Oneounceload,

That has got to be the world's most beautiful and expensive Crickett rifle. Good thing its a double rifle. You need to have that second shot available for when the wounded mouse charges. Many an intrepid great white hunter has been badly mauled by an enraged beast whilst trying franticly to work the action of a bolt gun.
 
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